A little about me

I am in Christ; Jeff's wife; Joshua, Anna, Abigail and Samuel's mum. My husband pastors a Baptist church in a little country town in West Australia. I am, therefore, "the Pastor's Wife" - but I do not cook scones, play the organ, or {add your own stereotype here}. I love studying the Bible, because it helps me to love God more. I enjoy helping others engage more closely with the Bible, whether they be my own children, other children (in the past I have worked as a Children's Ministry Worker) or other women (leading Bible study small groups). I also enjoy my chickens and lambs.

7:00pm Jeff put kids to bed one at a time while I continue to read to others

Then: Evening chores, evening activities

9:30pm Adults' Bed time (except Mon and Wed - TV time)

* One evening a week (or perhaps Wed afternoons during Mummy Time) I will be planning out the week ahead of time. At this time I will be choosing which activities to do with the kids for Directed Play.

I've used some CM ideas in making this (short lessons, including lots of read aloud time) as well as things I learnt when I trained as a Children's leader for BSF (such as alternating physical activities with mental ones), common sense (working out when I could do my housekeeping chores alongside the kids' activities) and of course suggestions from my husband (compulsory Mummy Time during the little ones' naptime, having us both sit down together to do our daily Bible study, regularly scheduling craft time). I have high hopes for this schedule, but of course a schedule is only as good as the woman who follows it!

On Wednesdays we'll be going to BSF in the morning and so we'll just be getting ready and leaving straight after breakfast, with no Circle Time. We'll have lunch with Jeff as we did in first semester and be home in time for Mummy Time. We won't do Reading/ Writing/ Maths/ Science/ Class Time on Wednesdays, because the program at BSF involves listening and speaking skills and large and small movement, so they get their "school" time then. Once we get home, however, we'll be back to the rest of a regular day.

5 comments:

I'm curious: What is your seasonal schedule? That is, how are your school semesters organized and when does the school year begin and end? We go mid-August to early May, a nine month school year with brief holiday breaks at Christmas and in March.

Looks like you have a good plan for semester 2. I suppose that many of the classical method resources are perhaps too American to be of use to you (Veritas Press; or my favorite, Tapestry of Grace; etc.). Are there some similar resources that are more Australian or British-based? It sounds like you are crafting your own mix of curriculum right now and, of course, primary grades are more focused on reading/writing/math skills.

Nice to see you posting again! Glad you enjoyed your break...Mrs. Edwards

Since you asked, I will endeavour to post our year schedule separately.

You are right about the American focus of many resources, especially those to do with history. I have looked into ToG - a friend uses it - but in the later years it becomes unsuitable. For the "grammar" years (early primary) I have finally decided to use Story of the World 1-4 and then spend a year on Australian history in (Joshua's) grade 5 using a resource developed by an Australian classical home edder, Linda, of Adnil Press, (Link in my LH side bar) called "Australia... the wide brown land for me".

Have you allowed any time in your schedule for the kids to do chores, and you training them in this area? It takes some one-on-one time at first, but it is surprising at how well they can learn to complete simple cleaning/tidying tasks. You might want to consider having the older two help you sort and fold the laundry as a starting point. Working together makes it more fun and you can help them learn how to fold various items as you go.

This is what all my children - who can walk! - are currently capable of doing to reasonable standard, to give you an idea. They don't each necessarily do all of these things every day, but it is what I have somehow managed to train them in!

Sarah (21 months) make bed with help, set/clear table with some help, help unpack dishwasher.

We will be working at including 3 'job' times in our schedule during the rest of the year. They are becoming quite diligent in the mornings, we just need to train in some other areas for afternoons and before dinner. We'll see how it goes!

Looks like a good plan! I just finished up our daily plan for this year, to include our 5yo dd who will be in K. I am nervous about this as she required intense 1 on 1 time and gets frustrated VERY easily.

I am trying to keep the lessons short but not sure how to do this with Math (usually at least 45 mins) and Story of the World (seems to take to long in a sitting). Your idea about having many small pieces of Read Aloud time is great - I think I will rethink our schedule in that way (I had it blocked out in one block - if this length of reading puts ME to sleep, then it must be too long for them as well, right?) and break it up throughout the day.

I have liked SOTW and will use is again this year. You can do lots of activities with it and read lots of extra books, or do the minimum reading and coloring sheets depending on your time. I do have to add Biblical history separately, however.

Aah Rebecca, you know me so well! Of course I forgot chores. Well, actually they already do some of these but I didn't write them in the plan. At the moment everyone cleans up their own dishes from the table (rubbish to the bin, crockery and cutlery to the sink). I could definitely teach Josh to wipe down the table while Anna washes the cutlery and melamine kids crockery though. I am also teaching them to sweep with the dustpan and little broom under the table (I know it's carpet but the vacuum's too heavy to get out for every little crumb). I could be a lot more systematic about getting them to set the table. Maybe I need to have a look at your chore pack on Wednesday?

They're also all responsible for putting their own dirty clothes in the washbasket/ washing machine. Joshua dresses himself from clothes left on the end of his bed and so does Abi sometimes. Anna likes the attention of having me there to hand her each item before she puts it on, otherwise she dithers. Sam - well, he lifts up his feet while he hands me his socks and shoes, does that count?

I have tried to allow enough time within the schedule to focus on getting the kids to take responsibility for getting out their own school and play materials and putting them away again, but today was pretty hectic and the kids are a bit shell-shocked at having a structured day again. I think my major task for the first few weeks will be getting them to approach their tasks with a positive attitude. "School" just requires so much more from them than "holidays" - but then they've been whingy as a result of lack of structure over the hols anyway.

So thanks for the reminder. I think I'll talk to Jeff about what chores we should assign the bigger ones to do and when, because they could definitely handle more focus in this area of life skills.

Noddy Goes to Toyland, Hurrah for Little Noddy, Noddy and His Car, Here Comes Noddy, Well Done, Noddy!, Noddy Goes to School, Noddy at the Seaside, Noddy and the Magic Rubber, Noddy and Tessie Bear and Noddy Gets into Trouble by Enid Blyton

2013:

The really-and-truly-final-book (#12) in the Ranger's Apprentice series, The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling - on audible.com audiobook

Anna and I read Earth Unaware and Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston together, since Anna loved reading Ender's Game and the Ender's Shadow series earlier this year

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Swallows and Amazons, Swallowdale and Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein (again)

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer, read aloud in turns by Anna and Joshua (the fairy tale chapters), Jeff (Oliver's chapters) and me (Delilah's chapters).

(What we thought was) the last book (number 11) in the Ranger's Apprentice series: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

2012:

Ranger's Apprentice Books 1-10: The Ruins of Gorlan, The Burning Bridge, The Icebound Land, Oakleaf Bearers, The Sorcerer in the North, The Siege of Macindaw, Erak's Ransom, The Kings of Clonmel, Halt's Peril and The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

Horrendo's Curse by Anna Fienberg

Five Go To Smuggler's Top by Enid Blyton [audiobook CD]

Danny, the Champion of the World, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Witches and The Twits by Roald Dahl [audiobook CD]

The Borrowers, The Borrowers Afield, The Borrowers Afloat, The Borrowers Aloft, The Borrowers Avenged, and Poor Stainless by Mary Norton

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling [audiobook CD]

James and the Giant Peach,The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl [audiobook CD]

Clarice Bean Spells Trouble by Lauren Child [audiobook CD]

Cry of the Cat by Emily Rhodda [audiobook CD]

Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery [audiobook CD]

2011:

The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King by JRR Tolkein: Yes, even our 4yo listened to The Lord of the Rings!